Device for supplying a greasy packing substance to the tightening spaces of dry gas holders



'July 24, 1934. K. JAGSCHITZ Y PACKING SUBSTANCE FACES 0F DRY GASHOLDERS Filed June 3, 1931 DEVICE FOR SUPPLYING A GREAS TO THETIGHTENING S Patented July 24, 1934 Ti GFFICE ING SUBSTANCE TO THETIGHTENING SPACES OF DRY GAS HOLDERS Konrad Jagschitz, Mainz, Germany,assignor to Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nurnberg A. G., Nuremberg, Germany,a corporation of Germany Application June 3, 1931, Serial No. 541,829 InGermany June 14, 1930 9 Claims.

It is known in connection with dry or waterless gasholders(diskgasholders), to supply a greasy mass to the space between the wallof the gasholder and the disk (either such wall or the disk beingmovable and the other stationary) or such space being open towards thespace enclosed by the gasholder wall, the grease forming a gas-tightpacking between the latter vand the said disk. In order to replacethegrease that may have become lost during service a pump is provided bywhich the tightening space is re-filled with grease at certain intervalsof time.

The present'invention relates to a .device by which'the grease intendedto replace that which i has become lost during service is suppliedautomatically. According to the invention there is inserted anintermediate receiverinto a pipe connecting the grease space with a pumpdriven, preferably, by an electromotor, such intermediate receiverhaving a variable space and being subjected to an exterior pressure, andthe grease being supplied to the tightening place or places from suchreceiver .as long as the pump is not running. And in order to replacethe lost grease when the contents of said intermediate receiver has beenconsumed, a switch is provided for the motor driving the pump and isautomatically actuated by means of a device connected with saidreceiver, the automatic action proceeding in such manner that the pumpcommences to supply grease as soon as the said receiver has becomeempty, and comes to. a standstill when the receiver has been re-filled.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing on which isshown the interior of a waterless disk'gas holder equipped with a devicedesigned' according to this invention, the holder being shown invertical section and the inner parts being shownpartlyv also in verticalsection and partly in side view.

- On the drawing, a. denotes the flat, disk-shaped stationary bottom. ofthe vertically movable hell 0; the bottom a is supported by standardsI). The gas is contained in the space above said bottom. The tighteningbetween the bottom and the bell is efiected chiefly by means of thegrease that is contained in the annular space e. Such packings are knownand I do not, therefore, claim them as my invention. The annular space eis formed on its outer side by the adjacentportion of the inner surfaceof the bell; on its inner side by the adjacent portion of the wall h ofa vessel i, on its top by a ring g and at its bottom by a ring 1. Thewall h consists of sheet-metal and is bendable, and it is bent by meansof a liquid r contained in the vessel 2'; this liquid can in winter-timebe heated by a heating coil k to prevent freezing.

Introduction of the grease'into the space 6 is eifected by means of apump Z driven by an electromotor m. The pump draws the greaseirom areceptacle n through a pipe o and conveys it then through pipes p and qinto thetightening space e. The pipe q consists of two parts, betweenwhich are inserted bellows 7', the bottom 8 of which is subjected to theexternal pressure exerted by a weight t and transmitted to said bottomby a lever x. The bellows are filled with the grease and the latter is,therefore-also subjected to the pressure and is thereby forced into thespace 6, whereby the amount of grease which has become lost owing to thevertical movements of the bell is automatically replaced.

it denotes a vertically movable switch arrangedin a conductor leading tothe motor and by means of which the motor m can be switched on and off.The switch is guided by two sleeves and can be shifted in them by meansof abellcrank lever '12 v in whose full line position the motor isswitched ofi, whereas in the dotted line position of said lever themotor is switched on. The lever arm 12 is connected with the lever :12by a rod 10, and the position of the switch depends, therefore, upon theposition of the bottom .9 of the bellows. When the bellows 1' havebecome practically empty, the switch has arrived in the'position shownin dotted lines whereupon the motor is switched on and the pumpcommences to run so as to re-fill the bellows with grease from thereceptacle 12. When this has een accomplished, that is to say, when thebottom s has again arrived in its lowermost position, the lever 12 willhave been turned by the lever x and the rod w to such an extent that itshifts the switch a into that position in which the motor circuit isbroken, whereupon the pump will cease to run.

The top parts of the bellows and the bottom of the vessel 2 are indirect contact with one another or are made integral, and if thecontents of the vessel 2' is heated in winter-time by the heating coilis a part of the heat is transmitted to the grease in the upper portionof the bellows so that this portion remains sufiiciently liquid ormobile to enable it to be advanced by the bellows or pump pressure. maybe provided for the grease in the bellows.

If the gas holder is large, a plurality of devices of theabove-described kind may be provided, so that every portion of thecorrespondingly long seal can be provided with the packing grease. Theseveral bellows may be connected with one another by pipes constitutinga. circular piping which may communicate with only one pump that iscommon to all bellows. Iwish it to be understood that in these respectsa variety of constructional forms is possible without departing from theinvention.

The places where the bellows communicate with the two parts of the tubeq'may be opened and.

closed by means of valves 11 and 2 which are firmly connected with oneanother, as shown. The common valve-rod has two spaced abutment memberswhich are alternately actuated by the arm '0' of the bell-crank lever.When these parts are in the full line position in which the bellows arecompletely filledwith the grease and the motor circuit has beeninterrupted so that no more grease is fed into the bellows, the valve 2is closed and the valve y is open. The pressure exerted by the weight tdrives the grease entirely into the tightening space e, not also in thedirection to the pump. If, however, the lever x has drawn the lever 21downwardly into the lowermost position thereof, the lever arm 11' willhave shifted the common rod of the valves in such a direction that nowthe valve 2 is open and the valve 11 is closed so that the grease can bepumped into the bellows, but the pressure is not transmitted to thespace c. It is, therefore, impossible for the grease to be pressed outalong the inner surface of the bell during the operation of the pumpwhen the pressure is high, sothat no grease is lost.

' The described features, viz. the automatic supply of the packinggrease, as well as the heating of the contents of the vessel 2' and ofthe bellows r. are requisite in view of the nature of the grease whichis comparatively thick or solid and does not, therefore, follow thehydraulic laws which are valid only for actual liquids, such as water,oil, and the like. Also the resistance arising in the pipes increases inthe latter with grease far more than with actual liquids, especiallywith the increase of the distance from the pump, and in view thereof itmightoccur that where the automatically acting shutting valves at thebellows or its equivalent are lacking, there the grease would be fedonly into the first bellows and its appertaining tightening place at thebell; and would there escape, whereas the other bellows would receivetoo little or perhaps no grease. But owing to the provision of the valvearrangement such detrimental effects are completely-obviated. Theheating coil likewise serves a novel function in view of the nature ofthe sealing material, as the heatingprevents the grease in cold weatherfrom becoming so stiff that the operativeness of the device 'might bedestroyed. There is obviously a material difference between thisapplication of the heating device and the employment of the same in theknown sealing devices where water or oil etc. is used as packingsubstance, in that in the latter A separate heating coil case either theformation of ice is to be prevented or impure matter is to be separated.

I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the detailsshown and described merely by way of example. Many departures in thedetails are possible without departing from the gist and essence of theinvention as defined in the claims. Thus, for instance, instead of thebellows a cylinder with a piston therein may be used, and instead of thecontrolled valves controlled cocks or other equivalent members may beused.

I claim: I

1. In a waterless gasholder, the combination of a closure disc and agasholder section movable relatively to each other, a packing attachedto said disc, mechanism for supplying a greasy packing substance to suchpacking comprising a grease supplying pump, a conduit leading from saidpump to said packing, and an intermediate grease receiver inserted insaid conduit and comprising a chamber of variable capacity through whichthe grease passes.

2. In a waterless gasholder, the combination of a closure disc and agasholder section movable relatively to eachother, a packing attached tosaid disc, mechanism for supplying a greasy packing substance to suchpacking comprising a grease supplying pump, an electromotor for drivingsaid pump, a switch for switching said motor on and off, a conduitbetween said pump and said packing, an intermediate grease receiverinserted in said conduit and comprising a chamber'of variable capacitythrough which the grease passes, and means for'switching on said. motorautomatically when said receiver has become at least par tiallydepleted, and for switching oif the said motor when the said receiverhas been refilled.

3. In a waterless gasholder, thecombination of a closure'disc and agasholder section movable relatively to each other, a packing attachedto said disc, mechanism for supplying a greasy packing substance to suchpacking, comprising a grease supplying pump, an electromotor for drivingsaid pump, a switch for switching said motor on and off, a conduitbetween said pump and said packinaan intermediate receiver for thegrease inserted in said conduit and comprising a chamber of variablecapacity through which the grease passes, means for switching on saidmotor automatically when said receiver has become at least partiallydepleted, and for switching off the said motor when the saidreceiver hasbeen refilled, shutting-off members for the inlet opening and the outletopening of the receiver, and means for operating such members. V

'4. In a waterless gasholder, the combination of a closure disc and agasholder section movable relatively to each other, a packing attachedto said disc, mechanism for supplying a greasy packing substance to suchpacking, comprising a grease supplying pump, a conduit between said.pump and said packing, an intermediate receiver packing, and anintermediate grease receiver inserted in said conduit and comprising achamber of variable capacity through which the grease passes.

6. A waterless gasholder as set forth in claim 5 including anelectromotor for driving the grease pump, a switch controlling thecircuit of said motor and means for closing said switch automaticallywhen the receiver has become at least partially depleted and for openingsaid switch when the receiver has been refilled.

"I. A waterless gasholder as set forth in claim 5 including anelectromotor for driving the grease pump, a switch controlling thecircuit of said m0- tor and means for closing said switch automaticallywhen the receiver has become at least partially depleted and for openingsaid switch when the receiver has been refilled, said chamber ofvariable capacity including a movable wall, and said means including alever movablelin response to the movements of said wall.

8. A waterless gasholder as set forth in claim 5, including a motor fordrivng the pump, and means for closing the communication between thechamber of variable capacity and the pump when the motor is not inoperation.

9. A waterless gasholder as set forth in claim 5 including a motor fordriving the pump, and means for closing the communication between thechamber of variable capacity and the packing when the motor is set intooperation.

KONRAD JAGSCHITZ.

